A THOUGHT FOR OUR CHILDREN

Each second we live is a unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again…. And what do we teach our children?

We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them:

Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move.

You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel?

You must work – we must all work – to make a world worthy of its children.

— Pablo Casals (1876-1973)From a New York Times advertisement, September 28, 2001

WELCOME TO A WEBSITE DEDICATED TO PROMOTING QUALITY EARLY CHILD CARE and education from birth to five years. As you browse through this site, we hope you will gain insight into the critical need for a national program of affordable early child care for American families and how skilled professionals and parents can work with very young children to develop their wholesome growth and development.

In the following pages, you will find helpful articles from current news and professional sources on working with young children. In addition, you will not want to miss a video in seven segments taken in two quality child care centers illustrating how teachers work with children at various ages to develop them socially, emotionally and intellectually and prepare them for school. There are also articles on some sidelights in early child care, the political obstacles standing in the way of a national program in the field and how people around the country are combating them.

This website is the creation of Nettie Becker, who has spent many years working in the field of infant and early child care, and Paul Becker, an educator, writer and editor. They are the co-authors of Developing Quality Care for Young Children, of which you will find more information on this site.

We hope you will find this helpful in your professional work with children or as a parent.